Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Lithuania's tourism potential was presented in an event entitled "Amber Lithuania" which was held in Baku on January 14.

The event, which brought together Azerbaijan's entrepreneurs, representatives of the mass media, as well as the country's travel agencies, was organized with the support of the State Tourism Department of Lithuania together with the Lithuanian Embassy in Azerbaijan.

Opening the event, Raymonda Balniene, Director General of Lithuanian State Department of Tourism spoke about Lithuanian resorts, including such well-known resorts as Druskininkai, Neringa, Palanga and Birštonas. Then Balniene spoke about the city of Trakai, located close to Vilnius, adding that a small Turkic ethnic group - the Karaites, belonging to ancient Turkic tribes Kipchaks, have lived in Trakai for 600 years and have preserved their cultural identity.

She also told about amber - Lithuania's symbol on the map of world tourism, and famous Amber Road - an ancient trade route for transferring amber from the coastal areas of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, which is being restoring by Lithuania now.

Head of the Lithuanian Resorts Association Jurgita Kazlauskiene, in turn, spoke about the production and use of amber in Lithuania, adding that everyone can taste the cuisine of any country, including dishes prepared using amber acid. She also said each ethnographic region of Lithuania is proud of its dishes; mushroom dishes, sausages, fish, and various soups, as well as zeppelins or kluski, traditional Lithuanian dish.

During the event a film about the Lithuanian cities was presented to the audience. It was noted that Vilnius is the greenest city in Europe, and other cities of the country also offer an unforgettable holidays in the country at any time of year, regardless of weather conditions.

Chargé d'Affaires of Lithuania's Embassy in Azerbaijan Šarūnė Kubiliūtė addressed the event, emphasizing an increase in the number of Azerbaijani tourists in Lithuania, adding that the country is interested in attracting even more tourists from Azerbaijan.

Event guests also got acquainted with the opportunities of medical tourism in Lithuania. Representative of Lithuanian cluster on medical tourism Grazhvidas Morkus spoke about quality treatment in Lithuania, which is cheaper than in some countries in Europe and, at the same time, in no way inferior in quality, and sometimes even surpasses.

Morkus also spoke about the various mineral and curative waters, one of the riches of Lithuania.

Moreover, it was reported that Belarusian Belavia company are carrying flights from Baku to Minsk and from Minsk to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania on Thursdays and Sundays, which is very comfortable and profitably for Azerbaijani tourists. Cost of round-trip tickets starts from 340 manats. The flights from Baku are implemented at 04:45, landing in Minsk at 07:20, while flights from Minsk are implemented at 08:20, landing in Vilnius at 8:00 (-1).

The growth of incoming tourism placed Lithuania second in Europe in 2012. An excellent balance between price and quality for the services provided here is the secret key to such a growing success. People choose Lithuania as a recreation destination because of its wonderful climate, fresh air, majestic resorts, and interesting sightseeing sites.